Читать книгу Down to the River and Up to the Trees: Discover the hidden nature on your doorstep - Sue Belfrage - Страница 15

As a child I used to go mushroom picking with neighbours and return home with baskets full of chanterelles and ceps. These days, however, I’m more cautious. While mushroom foraging is a lovely thing to do, it can occasionally go very wrong. If it appeals to you, please consult a reliable field guide or go picking with somebody who knows what they’re talking about. Or you could try growing your own.

For those with limited space there are mushroom windowsill kits. You can make your own version by sprinkling some grain spawn for oyster mushrooms onto the soaked pages of an old catalogue or paperback. Once you’ve done this, wrap the catalogue in a plastic bag. Punch small holes in the bag and leave the package somewhere dark and warm for a few weeks, keeping the contents moist but not dripping wet.

(If the package turns black, it’s gone mouldy and is no good.) When a white furry layer of mycelium appears over the catalogue, place the package in the fridge for a day or two to shock the mycelium into action. Then store the package in a cool spot such as under the sink or in a cellar. If all goes to plan, over the next few days tiny mushrooms should start to sprout. Let them grow until they look big enough to eat.

If you’ve more room and patience, you can plant mushroom dowels impregnated with spores in holes drilled in a hardwood log, then seal them over with beeswax. This process can take over a year to yield results, but it could be the gift that keeps on giving.